ravioli di fonduta with truffle

This week we begin to tell you our favorite Christmas lunch menu. The first course, primo in Italian, is a traditional recipe from Piemonte, a beautiful region in the North of Italy that offers many local products including many kinds of cheese, red and white wine and truffles. The ravioli di fonduta with truffle combines the strongest flavours of this region.

for pasta: prepare the pasta by kneading the flour and whole eggs for at least 10 min. If the dough still crumbles, just wet your hands and continue kneading to obtain a soft dough. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. Cover the dough with a damp cloth.

for filling: cut the fontina in small pieces, put it in a pan together with the milk and cook at low heat. Stir until the cheese is completely melted. The fondue should never get to boiling temperature. Once the cheese is melted and smooth, remove the pot from the heat and add one egg yolk at a time, keep stirring. Let the mixture cool to make it harder.

Cut a piece of dough (work with small portions at a time and leave the rest covered) and roll out into a thin sheet (-0.5 mm), and put dollops of fonduta filling on it (as shown in the picture above).
Cover with another sheet of pasta and cut into rectangles, or use a round pastry cutter, taking care to seal the edges of the pasta firmly (lightly brush a little water around the filling, before folding the pasta) and making sure to press out all of the air. Dust the ravioli with some flour to keep them from sticking together.

In a fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook, swirling the pan, until the butter foams and begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the butter, remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
Fill a large pot three-fourths full of water and bring to boil. Add the salt and then the ravioli. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli rise to the surface and are al dente, 3 to 4 minutes.
Drain the ravioli mix with the melted butter; finish with the grated or sliced truffle, to taste.